Whitehorse City Council: Aqualink Box Hill Redevelopment Project
Posted under: Aqualink Box Hill (AQBH) is located within Surrey Park, a 16 hectare sport and leisure precinct in the City of Whitehorse. In 2010 Council committed to redevelop AQBH as it no longer delivered the level of service required. The original AQBH constructed in late 1970 was demolished in early 2012.
Construction commenced in July 2012 and AQBH was opened on December 16, 2013.
AQBH provides:
- State of the art universally accessible facility
- Warm water therapy pool
- Five heated swimming spaces
- State of the art gymnasium
- Four multipurpose fitness spaces
- Short stay crèche
- 3 court multipurpose stadium
- ESD best practice
AQBH is a modern and innovative aquatic and leisure centres. It provides practical sustainable design features, diverse aquatic spaces, and spacious flexible program areas.
The aquatic environment provides significant opportunities to reduce water loss and condensation, lower evaporation, reduce energy demand and improve air/water quality including:
- Onsite cogeneration plant
- Pre-coat pressure filters and associated plant
- Highly insulated and fully sealed thermal envelopes
- Bauer airconditioning
- Automated lighting
- Water tanks for flushing urinals and toilets
- Evacuated tubes on roof for heating hot water
- Heat recovery wheels in air handling plant
Corrosion, moisture and noise are important to control in an aquatic environment where humidity is high and acoustics challenging. Highly sustainable knaf, wood wool panelling, lines the walls and indoor pool ceilings.
Double glazing is used through the facility to help stop solar heat from penetrating the building and to allow the internal air handling to work efficiently. Applied surfaces eg paints and tiles, have been chosen for their durability, serviceability and ease of cleaning
Planning for low maintenance finishes eg external walls will never required painting, and supplier warranties for installers work eg Kinspan roof and cladding have meant a reduction in maintenance costs for the building.